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Canada to study mining policies with 'ambitious' plan

Canada will outline new policy actions and goals in 2019 aimed, in part, at making the mining industry in Canada more competitive, according to Minister of Natural Resources James Carr.

Carr held a press conference at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto to launch what the government is calling the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan.

In remarks about the initiative, Carr stressed the need to boost the focus on social, environmental and indigenous issues as well as making Canada a more competitive jurisdiction for mining.

He called the plan's goals "ambitious" and said the outcome would be "rooted in real action."

Those actions will become clearer as the planning process unfolds and the government starts consultations with industry, stakeholders and Canadians about the mining plan.

Carr said he would meet with provincial and territorial counterparts in August 2018 to discuss the plan. The final plan, with recommendations, will be made public in 2019.

"I think it's a good process," Pierre Gratton, president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada, said in an email. "The issues are well-framed and reflect a recognition by governments that Canada, for decades the top jurisdiction for global mineral exploration and investment, is losing ground."

Gratton hopes the process will address issues "from geoscience, to infrastructure deficits, to regulatory efficiency to a generally stronger expression from governments that they want to see more investment into Canada."

In a document released at the press conference, the Canadian government outlined areas that might be addressed. These include infrastructure needs in remote areas, innovation, regulatory certainty, diversity in the workforce and aboriginal participation.

Carr also said the Canadian government would commit C$10 million to a newly created National Clean Technology Challenge. The funds will be used to spur technological innovation that could help make mining operations more environmentally friendly.